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How to avoid Back Pain

The right posture can completely revamp your health and lifestyle. Follow these simple steps to make sure you have the correct posture in your everyday life.

STANDING
Most of us stand in the wrong posture, without realising. Not more than two minutes of waiting in the railway ticket queue and our posture starts to change. Our shoulders droop; the head starts hanging low and the legs are bent at the knee. A simple method to deal with this problem is to always be self-conscious of your posture and rectify it as soon as you realise.

To get rid of poor posture problems, stand in front of a mirror and follow some basic rules. Raise your chin and pull back your shoulders so as to line them up with the earlobes. Then, slowly tuck in your tummy because a hanging tummy exerts more pressure on your spine and leads to back problems. Then, straighten your knees. Look at yourself in the mirror and you will see a significant change in the way you look. This is the correct posture to stand in and make sure you stick to it as much as possible.

In everyday life, if you need to stand for longer hours, periodically, shift the weight from one foot to the other.

SITTING
Perhaps one of the major reasons for the wrong posture problem in a large percentage of urban population are their desk jobs and also lack of physical exercise. When sitting for long hours in the same position all day long, one hardly realises when he or she slumps in the chair. To deal with it:

It is important for the lower back to be comfortably rested against the back of the chair. If you don’t have one of those fancy chairs that you see in your boss’ cabin, don’t worry. A simple tip is to take a small pillow or maybe wrap up a towel and place it in the gap between the chair and your lower back. Thus makes sure that your lower back always has the right support while you are busy with work.

Take care that you put your weight equally on both your hips. Instead of leaning over your desk, sit back. If you need a closer look at the screen, don’t bend ahead. Instead, pull the chair closer to the screen. Keep your feet flat on the floor. See to it that your knees are at a 90-degree angle. Also, your arms should be comfortably rested at a near 90-degree angle. If you have a problem coming close to the 90-degree position, play with the height ofk the chair.

SLEEPING
If you have been experiencing a back pain each day when you pull yourself out of the bed, take note of your mattress. Chances are that your mattress is too soft. While you certainly wouldn’t want to sleep on a rock hard surface, a rule of thumb says that firmer surfaces offer better support when sleeping. A foam pad in this case may do the job.

Avoid sleeping on your stomach. Instead, sleep on your back or on either side.

If you are sleeping on your back, having a pillow under the knees can be quite comfortable. If you are sleeping on your side, have a pillow between the knees.

Written by James · Filed Under Health 

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